The Walls of the World
by Tessabe
Summary: Anna can see things no one else can see, this leads her to an adventure that she could never have imagined
1. Default Chapter

The world this story resides in and all within it belong to Mercedes Lackey.

I only claim this story and a few odd characters.

Chapter 1 Waking Dreams

I'm not sure if the accident was the cause of what's happening to me now or it was the

result. I only know that since I woke up in the hospital, I can see things. Things that no

one else can see. At least I assume they can't. I haven't gotten the courage to ask. I see

people looking at me with pity already and I don't want them to think that my mind is

broken as well as my body.......

From the journal of Annalise Trelain

Anna lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. The headache throbbed in time with the

ripples she could see in the air. This day was particularly bad. She could almost see shapes in it. It looked a bit like the way heat shimmered off the road on a hot day.

The energy of it threaded through everything. There was nothing to distract her from it

now that she was back home from the hospital. At least then, there had always been someone stopping by to check on her. Now today she was alone.

Almost recovered from her accident, she only had a slight limp that would never leave

and this distracting dance of the air wherever she looked. If she tried, she could stop seeing it for a time, but it always came back.

It was the strain of trying to push away her awareness of it entirely that was giving her the headache. With a sigh she gave up the fight. Closing her eyes she rolled to her side and tried to relax. She needed to take the time for a nap this afternoon or she would never have the energy to last the day.

Maybe she could sleep off her headache as well. The pain did appear to lesson as she drifted off to sleep.

Green leaves rustled in the wind. The tickle of an ant crawling over her hand woke her. With a start Anna sat up and rubbed her eyes. Where was she? A shiver ran down her spine as she realized that she was in the garden that she had been dreaming of the last few weeks. "It's real" she whispered to herself. She looked up as she heard several voices speaking a language she didn't recognize.

Hunching down so that she wouldn't be seen, Anna looked through the leaves of the bush next to her towards the voices. Several brightly dressed young women were walking down a path about three feet beyond her bush.

They laughed and chattered to each other not noticing their observer. Once they were gone she sat up and looked around her. The air shimmered again before her eyes and she saw her room in it. Anna broke a rose from the bush beside her before reaching for her room. She twisted the energies and she rolled onto her bed.

The pain of a thorn in her tightly grasped hand awoke her from her shock. Opening her hand, she looked at the rose. Anna sat up and swung her legs off the bed, then grabbed her cane with her free hand. She made her way as quickly as she could for the kitchen.

Once there the rose sat on the table in a glass of water. Anna sat there with a glass of her own and looked at it. "Proof" she said to herself.


	2. Chapter 2 Wither do I Wander

Chapter 2 Wither do I Wander

I'd think that I was going crazy except that I have proof of a sort. I still don't think that I can

tell anyone though. Who wants to be different? It's safer this way. I need time to figure

this out. I also want to see if I can go back. The garden is lovely and my curiosity is

killing me. Where is this place..........

From the Journal of Annalise Trelain

Every time Anna went through the kitchen the rose on the table reminded her of her dream, if she could call it that. Finally towards evening, when she knew she wouldn't be having any visitors. Anna went to her living room to the chair by the fireplace. She needed to explore this thing.

For the first time she called up the sight of the energy. She could easily see the airs movement. Like a curtain in a open window. From time to time pale shimmers of color, threaded through the whole thing. She knew now that she could influence it, but still she hesitated.

Finally she reached out her hand and felt the texture of it. As she stroked it she began to see through the veil as she had before. This time she didn't see the garden. A rock wall like the ones she had seen surrounding the garden stood before her only about 2 inches away.

Obeying an impulse, Anna willed the scene to turn. Soon she saw the garden again, this time at a different angle.

She wanted to be able to return and didn't trust that the way back would remain open. After all, the garden wasn't the only place she had dreamed of after the accident. Thinking about the problem Anna studied the structure of the curtain before her.

Looking closely she thought she saw a solution. If she wove the energies just so, she could make a permanent opening between the two places. Putting thought to action took very little time. Soon she could see the garden clearly. Anna pulled herself up using her cane and walked through the opening.

It wasn't until she had walked through the opening that she realized that instead of the darkness of late evening it was full daytime here. She turned looking back the way she had come and could clearly see her living room. She needed to do something about that.

She didn't want some innocent to stumble across the doorway and end up in her living room. Looking at the energies again she saw that with a few tugs she could make the opening as small as she liked. An inch should do Anna thought to herself.

Anna had thought carefully before she had started this expedition. She had noted the clothing the girls had been wearing. It wouldn't do to stand out like a sore thumb. She had gone through her wardrobe and put together an outfit that she hoped would blend in.

A couple of years ago she had gone to a Halloween party with her friends. The princess dress she had worn, minus the hat should work. The green was much more subdued than the bright colors the others had been wearing, but the style wasn't too far off. Besides she liked the look of it with her dark red hair and eyes a shade lighter than the dress.

She laughed at herself for thinking of fashion when she should be keeping her eyes open and her mind on what she was doing.

Walking the paths she looked around her. Many of the plants were unfamiliar to her and she wondered where they could be from. Soon she came to an open area beyond the stone walls of what appeared to be a large building several stories high. A fence enclosed a large grassy area and what appeared to be a loose herd of white horses wandered at will within the area.

In the distance she could see walls of the same stone as the building. Anna frowned trying to think where in the world she could be.

Keeping the building to her side so that she could find her way back to the doorway to her living room she continued on.

A couple of horses ambled over to the fence near her and looked in her direction. Wistfully she remembered riding before her accident and knew it would be some time before she would be able to again.

However she could still give these horses a treat. She had a couple of maple sugar candies in her pocket and she didn't think it would do them any harm.

Reaching the fence she pulled a candy out of her pocket and put out her hand. She propped her cane on the fence and leaned against it.

The horse nodded and whickered softly as it stepped daintily forward. It's lips felt soft as it took the candy gently from her palm. Anna smiled and looked at the other as she came forward as well. She pulled the other candy from her pocket and held it out for her.

A mans voice from behind startled her and she almost dropped it. The other took her candy and Anna turned to look at the man behind her.

His dark hair was shoulder length and tied back with a cord. Blue eyes that looked kind watched her as she turned. He wore a white uniform of some kind. He said something else and she shrugged. "I'm sorry I don't speak your language" she said softly.

He looked surprised at her words and she hoped that there wasn't only one language here. She didn't want to appear suspicious to anyone in authority. And she thought he must be in authority if he was wearing a uniform.


	3. Chapter 3 Good Intentions

Chapter 3 Good intentions

Darin yawned and stretched as he walked down the corridor from his room. He was still tired: just in from his circuit and he was looking forward to his time off.

:Jeraela: he called. :Humph: :You want to go to town:? :Only if you stop by the Compass: she sent.

Darin grinned, Jeraela was fascinated with the crowd at the Compass Rose. She couldn't come in herself but she loved to listen in from the back of his mind when he went there.

Before she chose him he had been one of that crowd himself, though only a student. He liked to keep in touch himself. He had several friends that should be there at this time of day.

Darin squinted at the bright sunlight as he left his wing of the Herald's quarters. He saw that Jeraela was waiting near the fence for him, another companion at her side.

:Who's your friend: he asked. :Terril, Geddies is his chosen: :Isn't he a little young for you: he teased. Jeraela didn't answer.

A woman walking from the direction of the gardens caught the attention of both. She limped slightly and appeared to need the cane she held.

He held back and watched as she walked slowly over to the fence. She was young to need a cane and he wondered what had happened to her. She was obviously from the court, but he didn't remember ever seeing her before.

She was looking towards the companions field and didn't see him as he approached. He saw her reach into a pocket and take something out holding it out to Terril, then again to Jeraella.

"Lovely day for a walk" he said. She started and almost dropped whatever she was holding out to Jeraela. :It's good: Jeraela sent. :Give her my thanks Darin:

"Jeraela tells me to thank you" he said to the woman. She looked down then said something in a language he didn't know. When he didn't say something for a moment she began to look worried.

:Jer, she must be from one of the foreign delegations that arrived recently. I wonder why no one has taken her to the Dyheli to get the Valdemarian tongue:

:Maybe you should take her there Darin, the Compass can wait that long:

He sighed and then approached her. She looked a little worried , but relaxed as he smiled and gently took her hand gesturing for her to follow.


	4. Chapter 4 Talking Beasts and other Wonde...

Chapter 4 Talking Beasts and other Wonders

Anna worried a bit as she followed the strange man, her hand still held lightly in his. When she stumbled, he steadied her. It was the lack of anger that made her trust enough to go with him.

She figured that if he realized that she didn't belong he wouldn't have any reason to hide that fact from her. Besides the curtains of energy were everywhere, there was no reason that she couldn't leave if worse came to worse.

In any case he wasn't leading her towards any of the buildings, instead he was heading out to another part of the field. She was glad he wasn't in a hurry, it was hard for her to walk fast.

It would be some months at least before she would be able to do so. And she wasn't sure she would ever be able to run again. She sighed thinking it would be good when she could get rid of the cane.

He looked back at her and said something in an encouraging tone.

She shook her head and smiled back at him. Soon they came to what looked like an antelope of some kind. She was sure she had never seen this kind, but supposed that there were a lot of things that she had never seen before.

Whatever this was, it was very tame, not backing away as they neared it. They stood for a few moments staring at each other then, she got the shock of her life.

Darin slowed as he reached Brytha. He looked up when it became clear they were heading in his direction.

:Brytha, I have someone who needs to get Valdemaran, Rethwellan and maybe it would be wise it give her Tayledras and Shin'a'in as well:

: How about Karsite too: Brytha sent.

: Sounds like a good idea, if we give her as many as we can at once, she won't have to go through this again:

: I'll need to ask her: Brytha said.

: That's fine: Darin said.

Anna was still looking at the antelope wondering why she had been led here when a strange voice spoke to her.

Almost at once she realized it wasn't that the person was speaking English, it was more she simply comprehended what was being said to her. Her eyes widened as she realized that she wasn't actually hearing a voice, it was more in her mind.

: Excuse me I need to ask if you would like to receive the languages they speak here:

She thought for a moment and tried to respond in kind: That would be nice:

Before she could say more she felt another mind over hers, a pressure then she blacked out. She woke held in the arms of the strange man as he knelt on the ground beside her.

She closed her eyes against a headache rivaling the one she had felt yesterday. At her soft groan she heard his voice.

"Headache" he asked. Surprised she opened her eyes and glanced at him. "I can understand you" she said surprise evident in her voice.

"Brytha gave you our language" he said. "Who's Brytha" she asked.

He nodded in the direction of the antelope. Surprised she looked with wide eyes at Brytha. :Thank you: she sent to him, mindful of her manners even in such a bizarre situation.

He nodded in response then walked away leaving her with the man on the ground. She pushed away from him and grabbed her cane levering herself up. He helped steady her then stepped back.

"I'd like to know who to thank" she said after an awkward silence.

"I'm Herald Darin, and I'm glad I could help" she nodded her thanks and he went on. "I'm on my way out to town, but if you need some help getting back to your rooms to sleep off your headache I can stay around to help".

"That's not necessary, I know where to go, but thanks for your help".

She followed him as far as the pasture where the two horses were still waiting before turning back the way she had come.

She frowned as one of the concepts crowding the back of her mind caught her attention. Companions, that's what the white horses were. She wasn't sure what that meant, only that they weren't horses. More like what Brytha was. She had to keep that in mind the next time she came here.

She had a new group of possible witnesses to watch out for. Another thought occurred to her, there was nothing like Brytha or the Companions in her world. That meant she was someplace completely different.

Looking carefully to check that she had no witnesses, she opened the doorway to her living room then stepped through, swiftly closing it smaller and pulling the opening higher so no one could see it.

Once back she took an aspirin and sat back in her chair exploring all the exotic concepts that crowded her mind.


	5. Chapter 5 Will you Dance

Ch 5 Will you Dance?

I don't know how to begin to describe my last few days. The days no longer stretch before me.I know a secret, one that I will have to guard closely for now. It gives me more than the hint of freedom. And now that I have a taste of that freedom, I don't want to give it up......

From the journal of Annalise Trelain

It took Anna several days to work her way through all the new concepts and try to learn as much as she could from them. She also made sure to free up the next several days. She didn't want anyone to come visit and panic when she wasn't there.

She had gotten together some more clothing that might fit in. Because they had given her several languages Anna knew that there must be many different peoples there. She hoped that any differences in her clothing from the norm would be passed off as her being foreign.

She was glad that she wouldn't have to try to figure out the customs so closely.

This time when she stepped through the doorway, Anna wore a loose pair of black pants and a red tunic over a white shirt. She had the impression that the Shin'a'in wore something like this, though she couldn't be sure.

Anna started and quickly closed up the doorway once she stepped through. There was a small group ahead on the path.

Luckily they were facing the other direction. She knew that she needed to find a better, less open place for her doorway. This time she could make out the occasional word. Something about a party.

One of the girls looked back, she wore a grey uniform that looked much like the one Darin had been wearing. Of the 3 others the blond wore a pale green robe and the the remaining two wore blue uniforms.

"Hello"said the girl in grey. "I didn't see you coming". The group had stopped and all turned to look at Anna. She felt a little uncomfortable to be the center of attention, but there was no time like the present to see if she could fit in.

Anna smiled uncertainly "I was just admiring the gardens, the are very beautiful" she said as she neared the group.

They smiled and the girl in grey nodded and said. "Yes they are" She looked at Anna ans said "You're not from around here are you, I have a good memory for faces and I don't remember seeing you here before". "Yes, I've just recently come here, My names Anna" she held out her hand to the group.

After a second the girl in grey shook her hand and said "I'm Lytha, and this is Marnie" she pointed to the girl in the green robe. "I'm Fianna" said one of the girls in blue, her red hair was several shades lighter than Anna's own and she had dark blue eyes that matched her outfit well. The last girl looked up grey eyes peering through her long dark brown hair.

"That's Deena, she doesn't say much" said Lytha. "Too shy for her own good" Marnie spoke up. Deena frowned at her and Marnie looked at her for a moment before saying

"Say, I have and idea" The others groaned and rolled their eyes. "No really, it's a good one too" she turned to Anna "Since you're new here you probably haven't had time to meet many people have you". You have no idea Anna thought to herself. "No, I haven't".

Marnie nodded and smiled "Then maybe you could do us a favor, Deena here has a brother who's just came in from circuit.

Normally since he isn't here enough to meet anyone he and escorts her to the obligatory parties their parents give". "Guard you mean" Fianna broke in.

Marnie frowned at her then went on "If you could go with him then Deena would have time to be with her friend Gavin".

Anna looked over at Deena who seemed to be turning almost as red as Fianna's hair. She smiled wistfully and said "If he wouldn't mind a party might be nice". "It's all settled then"she said.

"Where and when is this party" Anna asked. "In two days, it's here at the castle" Marnie said. "He can meet me here in the garden"Anna told her.

They waved goodbye and dragged the still red Deena away talking excitably about what she should wear to the party.


	6. Chapter 6 Loose Magic

Ch 6 Loose magic

Because she wanted to be sure not to miss the party Anna had to find a place that she could build a doorway that didn't have to be closed. She found her spot in a shed, not far from the gardens. Anna brushed away cobwebs as she entered, there was a dark corner at the back she where she could put her doorway.

From the state of the shed she was sure nobody had been here in some time. Just to be safe though she tried something she had been thinking about. She put a fold in the curtain of air so that if you came straight on you would see nothing.

You could only go through the doorway if you entered at the right angle. As an added precaution, she made the doorway go into her linen closet.

There it would be as black as the shed, no light would escape to betray it. She stepped through and felt the shelves press against her back. Ahead she felt the solid wood of her door. With a twist of the energies she moved the door to the side. She wanted to be able to use her linen closet.

She stepped back through the doorway into the shed. Maybe it was because she was doing something more involved than just bending or weaving energies, but she found there was a great deal of extra energy she had to deal with.

She needed to find something to do with it. She had remembered seeing what looked like rivers of energy running through the ground, maybe if she bled it into one or more of those she could get rid of it that way.

She walked back to the gardens and found an isolated nook with a bench in it. Sitting down with a sigh she put her cane to one side and sat closing her eyes. Reaching inside and anchoring herself to the earth, she opened something. What she wasn't sure , it just seemed to be the right thing to do.

Her instincts hadn't let her down yet. She reached for the river of energy, it wasn't as strong as the energies she had been weaving and she stroked it, opening it to the energies she held at the back of her mind.

The rate at which it safely absorbed the energy she was feeding to it was much too slow, she quickly found another and joined to that one as well.

Within five minutes she had joined to a dozen of the rivers of energy. Finally she had drained enough of the energy that she could safely handle the rest. She carefully disengaged from all the streams and absorbed the last bit for herself.

She was tired and her stomach was telling her it was time to go home and eat. It took longer to make her way back to the shed, exhaustion making her clumsy so that she had to be more careful.


	7. Chapter 7 Oops

Ch 7 Oops

Selenay sat back and looked at her daughter. Elspeth frowned and said glancing at Darkwind "We don't know where the magic is coming from".

He nodded and said "Ever since the magestorms have ended the magic's been scarce, only those sites protected by the allies and your own heartstone survived, and now suddenly we have a strong new source".

"Could it be natural, a byproduct of the magestorms" Selenay asked. Darwind shook his head "there isn't a chance of that, There is a faint signature to the power, as if it hadn't been cleaned before being added to the ley lines".

The Prince consort Daren looked puzzled "Who would just give away power, especially that much"?

"What disturbs me" Darkwind said "Is that someone has so much power, It almost looks as if she is trying to get our attention".

"She" Selenay asked. Both Darwind and Elspeth nodded "It definitely has a feminine feel to it". "Can you find her" Daren asked. "Yes, I think so" Darkwind said "at least if she does this again, I think we can track her down".

Selenay nodded "please do so, we need to know what her intentions are".

The meeting done Darkwind and Elspeth left to plan the spells they needed to lay to track down their quarry.

Anna looked through her wardrobe trying to find a dress nice enough for the party. She could only hope that she picked the right one. Even with the concepts given to her with the languages she still had no clue about a lot of things.

She could tell anyone the names for different articles of clothing, in several languages no less, but she couldn't tell if something was in fashion. She just hadn't seen enough of it'

She sighed and picked up the nearest dress, it would have to do. In deep blue velvet, it would be rich enough.

Once dressed, Anna walked over to her closet and opened the door. She was careful not to get her dress caught as she closed the door behind her. She was glad she had spent some time cleaning out the cobwebs earlier.

Peeking out the shed's door, she saw no one in sight. She made her way quickly to the garden's to meet her date. She wished that she had gotten the name of the man.

Well she guessed that she would just have to ask anyone that looked like they were looking for someone. She laughed to herself as she had the thought that even here they had blind dates.


	8. Chapter 8 Unexpected things

Ch 8 Unexpected Things

"You did what" Darin yelled at his sister. "You don't have to yell" Deena said "besides it was Marnie's idea". "How can I go to a party especially one of mother's with someone I've never met before" Darin shook his head in disbelief, even knowing the crazy things Deena and her friends had done in the past he thought they had topped themselves.

"It was Marnies idea" Deena repeated, she sniffed a tear just escaping as she looked at her brother with sad eyes. He sighed knowing when she looked at him like that he would end up doing what she wanted. "Alright I'll go with this girl".

Deena smiled at this "She's nice you'll like her, her name's Anna". "Is she one of your friends from the Collegium" Darin asked as he picked up his bag from the floor where he had dropped it when Deena first told him about the date.

"No she's closer to your age, by the way we forgot to tell her your name so you'll have to look for her, she'll be in the gardens". "She has red hair and green eyes" Deena added.

"So where did you meet her" Darin asked as he pulled out the gifts he had picked up for his family while on his circuit.

"In the garden, we were there the other day" Deena waited for another explosion.

"Huh"? Darin looked up, a thought came to him "does she use a cane" he asked.

Surprised Deena gaped at him "How did you know". "I've met her, did you know she's probably from one of the foreign delegations that have come here recently, until a week ago she didn't speak a word of Valdemaran".

"I never did get her name though" he mused. Deena looked relieved "Then you know who to look for". "Uh-hum, here's the scarf you asked for" he said pulling it out.

Anna sat on the bench nervously looking around. She was starting to have second thoughts about this, after all she had never met the man. She wondered what she was getting into.

"We meet again" a familiar voice spoke from behind. She turned in her seat, Darin smiled down as he leaned against an arbor support. She smiled uncertainly as she looked back at him.

"Darin" she said "I didn't expect to see you here". He grinned "I'm here to pick up my escort for mother's party, it seems my sister is setting me up in her spare time".

She winced "I hope you don't mind". "No, I'm glad I had an excuse to talk to you again".

"I'm glad you're not upset" she said "And, I'm glad it's someone I've met before, I'll admit I was beginning to worry about what I'd gotten myself into".

Darin looked surprised "didn't they tell you I'm a Herald" he asked. "No, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway, I'm not sure what you mean by Herald".

"Didn't your delegation brief you about Valdemar" he asked surprised at her admission.

"What delegation, I came here on my own" she smiled ruefully.

"Well" he said choosing his words carefully as he thought about what she said. "Mainly it means you can trust me, my companion would never have chosen me if I had been the type to harm you"

"But what is a Herald, and what do they do" she asked curiosity overcoming good sense. It probably wasn't wise to ask questions that obviously most seemed to know, if his reaction was anything to go by.

He looked at her a moment trying to put it into words someone who wasn't born to it would understand. "A Herald does what ever needs doing for the Queen or King as the case may be, mostly they ride circuits as her representative, one who can't be bribed or take favorites.

We may serve as judges, take in taxes, preform weddings and the like. Some deliver messages, some gather information for the Queen. And one of us, the Queens own serves as her right hand, someone she can trust implicitly.

Our ruler has to be a Herald herself as well".He looked off in the direction of the field where his companion was with a slight smile "You can only become a Herald by being chosen by a companion, but once you are, you'll never be alone again".

Anna thought wistfully of the last part of what he said, she had been alone for a long time now.

He looked back at her "Does that give you a better idea of what a Herald is" he asked. She nodded. "well, we should probably be going, I know my mother will be wondering what happened to me if we don't show up soon". He gave her a hand as she rose from the seat.

Once standing he took her arm and they both walked the paths to the nearest door to the castle.


	9. Chapter 9 Interesting Times

ch.9 Interesting Times

"I have to warn you" Darin looked at Anna. "My mother may take some getting used to". Anna began to look worried. Darin shook his head "I'm sure you'll get along fine but she may start trying to plan the wedding. "Wedding" Anna gulped..

Darin grinned "she won't rest until she has me and my sister married off and you are the first woman I've taken to one of her parties, I thought Deena was crazy to set this up, she knows how mother is, but when I found out it was you I was willing to take the risk".

"Why" Anna asked afraid to get the answer. "Something about you called to me, after you left, I couldn't get you out of my mind, but it was too late to find you" he looked back at her "And I tried too, I asked around, but no one seemed to know who you were".

"They wouldn't" she said softly "I don't know that many people here, mostly your sister and her friends, and you". Before he had a chance to ask her about that, they had come to the large room where the party was being held.

Several couples were ahead of them, their invitations being checked at the door. The doorman just waved him through, after a start of surprise. Darin almost laughed, he knew Gorban was shocked to see him with anyone.

Elspeth was exhausted, she sat back and stretched, Darkwind didn't look any better. Magic seemed to take a lot out of everyone these days, it was that much harder to replenish reserves even with the heartstone, she just couldn't justify using it any more than she had to.

Sejanes and a couple of the other mages sat in chairs around the room as well. Darkwind rubbed his eyes and looked up "Well, that should do it, if anyone does anything of consequence it will set off the warning spells".

Sejanes stood up and said "We should probably get all the rest we can, we'll need it to deal with someone this strong". "Have you ever come across anything like this in the Empire" Elspeth asked Sejanes.

"Not this strong, even before the Mage storms". That answer didn't help Elspeth's nerves any. She had a bad felling about the whole situation, but there was nothing she could do about it for now.

Elspeth decided that this was one time she could use the heartstone to restore herself and the others. She reached for the stone and shared it's strength. Sejanes sighed "Thanks, I really needed that, I didn't want to say anything,but I was worried about regaining my strength in time".

The others nodded and Darkwind gave her a smile of approval.

Anna felt the flow of power, The air seemed to ripple and she stumbled. Darin caught her in time, she really didn't think falling to her knees in front of everyone was the way to make a good impression.

She glanced over at a nearby man as he staggered his way to the drinks, then again she thought to herself with a grin maybe she wouldn't be so much out of place. Darin saw her grin and where it was directed. He smiled a bit himself guessing the direction of her thoughts.

"Darin" the voice seemed to carry over the murmur of the party. He winced and Anna looked at him. "Your mother" she asked just loud enough for him to hear. He nodded and tried to look pleasant.

The crowd parted for the lady as she approached. Anna could see Darin in her eyes, though her hair was much lighter where it wasn't graying."I wanted you to...." she stopped what she had been about to say as she caught sight of the woman on her son's arm.

Shock held her still for a moment before she took stock.. She approved of what she saw, the woman her son had brought to the party had good taste. "You didn't tell me you were bringing anyone" she said reproachfully.

"I'm sorry" Anna said to get him off the hook. "I didn't know until recently if I could attend, I'm sure Darin didn't want to disappoint you". Darin's mother smiled her disgruntled expression disappearing as she turned to Anna.

She smiled at Anna her delight, evident. "I'm glad you could make it" she turned to her son and said "The Queen and the Prince consort came to my party tonight, perhaps you'd like to introduce your companion to them". He nodded.

Anna had an attack of nerves, this wasn't wise at all. She should be staying in the background not meeting the leaders of the land.

Darin sensed her panic and whispered in her ear as the made their way after his mother "Don't worry, I'll protect you, the Queen hasn't taken to eating babies for breakfast yet, just remember, she's a Herald".

She calmed down at his words, she believed him she had just had a moment, thinking about what would have happened in her own country to someone like her.

As they approached,Anna was more relieved by what she saw. The woman looked a triffle bored, she saw her whisper something to the handsome man at her side. He grinned at what she said.

There were no obvious signs of power, only a simple circlet on the woman's head, not even any other jewelry. She wore a white gown that reminded her a little of the uniform Darin wore, the Man wore a uniform as well.

Once they got close enough she saw it was from a finer material, but the cut was still the same. The man looked up and saw them approaching, he nudged the woman and she turned looking at them.

She smiled as Darin's mother said "Your majesty, I'd like to introduce my son Herald Darin and his friend Lady" she frowned at Darin. "Lady Anna this is Queen Selenay and her Consort prince Daren, your majesties Lady Anna"..

She smiled at the Queen and her companion and held out her hand. The Queen paused a moment then took her hand. Anna shook and nodded to the prince "It's a pleasure to meet you both, I'm sorry if I don't follow protocol, but my own people don't have a King or Queen".

They looked startled at this but before they could ask there was a commotion at one end of the room. Several people screamed and stumbled to get out of the way as several men in black broke through the doorway and raised bows in their direction.

Anna stood shocked as they raised bows and fired, She flinched and the air rippled, this time enough so that everyone could see. The arrows caught in midair and fell at their feet.

She glared at the men shock turning to anger. She grabbed the energies twisting them around their feet tripping them then pulling them up in midair, ripping bows from hands and binding their arms to their sides.

The guards running into the room stopped and stared at the men hanging upside down in midair.

Then Anna realized what she had done, trembling she turned to the others. The prince had knocked Selenay down and covered her, Darin had moved to stand before the three of them ready to defend them the best he could. All three stared at Anna


	10. Chapter 10 All Hung up and Nowhere to go

Ch 10 All Hung up and Nowhere to go

"I take it you're the mage we've been looking for"came Selenay's muffled voice from underneath her consort. "Mage"Anna wondered aloud. "Yes, with all the extra magic you've put in the ley lines we could help but notice".

Ley lines Anna thought to herself, that must be the rivers of energy she had put the extra power into.

"I can put it someplace else if you want, I didn't think it would bother anyone if I put it there".A muffled chuckle came from the direction of the Prince consort where he stood off to the side after letting Selenay up.

Then through her shock she realized what the Queen had said. "You've been looking for me, why". "When a strange mage comes around giving large gifts of power, especially when it's in such short supply, we need to find out if she's going to be friendly" Selenay said."But it's not in short supply, it's all around us" Anna said perplexed. Selenay and Daren gave each other a look.

Suddenly several more bodies tumbled into the room as the mages ran in. Elspeth and Darkwind, in the lead looked around wildly, spotting Selenay and Daren, they ran over.

"Your majesty"Elspeth gasped "The mage has set off the warning spells, we've located it to this part of the castle". Suddenly she turned and looked at Anna. Scared Anna backed up, then felt strong arms supporting her, a feeling of warmth filled her and she knew that Darin would keep her safe.

"I think I'm the one you're looking for"Anna said. "Who are you, and where do you come from" Darkwind asked carefully.

"My name is Annalise Trelain, but you can call me Anna"she shivered a bit at the look The woman was giving her. "She's a herald too" Darin whispered into her ear. Startled she glanced back at him, he gave her an encouraging look and she turned back to the group.

Elspeth and Darkwind didn't miss this little bit of byplay and gave each other a quick look. Anna said then "I come from" she paused trying to think of a way to explain her origins"Elsewhere" she finally said.

"Where is Elsewhere" Darkwind asked "Mind you, I'm not doubting you, but if we knew where it was we would have a better idea of your reason for coming here".

"You've never heard of it, I only came here by accident, it was curiosity that kept me coming back at first". "Elspeth burst in "I don't believe you, you just accidentally end up in the same room as the Queen".

Anna gave off a surprised laugh "It's good cop bad cop" she said before she had a chance to think. She heard a quiet chuckle from close behind where Darin still stood holding her.

Elspeth gave him an irritated look, though Darkwind's lips twitched. "It's true I didn't plan to meet the Queen, even if I was up to no good don't you think it's pretty stupid to go looking for trouble" Anna asked.

A thought occurred to her and she looked over the shoulders of the newcomers at the group of men still hanging in midair, their faces slowly turning red. "Speaking of trouble what do you want me to do with them" she asked.

One of the guards in the room had gotten his courage up and tried to pull one of the men down. His mouth dropped open when when his hands slipped right off the man, the power binding him keeping him from touching him.

Another of the would be assassins, was struggling to no avail. "Could you release them to the guards" Selenay asked her. Anna nodded and shifted the power, moving it to cradle the men, and still holding their arms and legs gently uprighted then and set them on their feet. As soon as a guard was near enough she released them. Soon all the men were in custody.

While she was doing this one of group that had come running in, an elderly man had been watching her intently. She finished smoothing the curtain of air back the way it had been and made sure all the energy was where it should be, she had a feeling that disposing of any extra energy wouldn't be a wise idea at the moment.

The old man continued to watch her a look of deep thought on his face.

As all this was going on the other people from the party had grouped away from them. Murmurs of muffled conversation eddied towards them.

The Queen looked over at them and said "perhaps it would be better to continue this in a more private place". Anna nodded and followed, Darin's arm guiding her. She was grateful for his presence, she didn't think she would have the nerve to stay without him.


	11. Chapter 11 Getting to Know You

Ch. 11 Getting to Know you

The room everyone ended up in was smaller than the one they had just come from, but still large enough to fit in all the mages, who followed the Queen and her party.

All of them snuck peeks at Anna from time to time. She was starting to wonder if she had grown an extra head when she wasn't looking. She couldn't blame them though, if some stranger showed up doing the things she had been doing, she didn't think her government would have been as nice about it as these people had been.

Once everyone entered the room, Selenay gestured for everyone to sit. Darin steered her towards something that looked a lot like a couch, when they sat she leaned against him, finding some comfort in his presence.

Selenay glanced around the room, then turned to Anna "It looks like everybody is here, Anna would you like to tell us about yourself and a little about why you're here".

"I suppose" she said softly. Some of the others in the room leaned forward to hear what she had to say. "Sorry" she said louder.

"I think I come from another world" she felt Darin start in surprise and turned slightly towards him.

"My people have been to almost every part of our world at one time or another and they have never seen anything like Companion's or like Brytha" she smiled " I've never heard of your country before, or any of the languages you've given me, but maybe if I could see a map it would help".

Selenay nodded to her consort, he stood up walking over to a desk near the back of the room. "There should be a map here somewhere" he said absently while moving papers aside. "Here it is" he said pulling out a rolled up and tied piece of.. ..when he got closer she could see it looked like vellum.

He looked around for someplace to unroll it and Anna said "Why don't you put it on the floor here" she said "Then everyone can see it.

He knelt down and unrolled the map, Anna leaned forward watching closely as more was revealed. "No, I've never seen any of this before and..." she broke off.

"And" Elspeth prompted.

"Well, my people have a theory, that there are multiple universes, but if that was it, the lay of the land should be the same and it's not. At least not that I can tell" Anna mused.

"Can't this just be a place you hadn't heard of" one of the men towards the back of the room asked "We do know that there are other people across the ocean, you could be from one of those lands".

Anna looked up "No, that's not possible" she said reluctantly " my people have mapped the whole world".

"Well, I think that part of the mystery will have to wait for now" Selenay said. "We want to learn about you, who are you and what are your plans now that you've found us".

"My name is Annalise Trelain" she started to say.

"We know that " Elspeth said with an irritated look.

Anna sighed, she could easily grow to dislike that woman and she still didn't even know her name. " Several months ago I was in an accident, one that I was told no one expected me to survive" she felt Darin arm tighten for a moment."before that happened I was just like anyone else there wasn't anything different about me" Well that wasn't the entire truth, but for the sake of time she wouldn't go into that.

"What kind of accident" Darin asked.

"I was hit by a drunk driver" she started to say.

"A what" someone asked.

"My people have made a vehicle made from metal that runs by itself, unfortunately, it can't steer itself and the person driving it was drunk".

"Oh" said one of the mages "like the steam carriages the artisfer's have been working on".

"Something like that" she mused as the image came to her from the concepts she had absorbed with the languages she had gotten. "Actually I think I remember that my people started with something like that themselves".

"Are you, have you recovered" Darin asked softly.

"Almost, I still have to use the cane for awhile and I think I'll always have a limp, but considering the alternatives I have no complaints".

He hugged her again "Maybe you should see one of the healer's,they might be able to help".

She nodded, it wouldn't hurt and she felt it would make him feel better.

"You hinted that you changed after the accident" Selenay said.

"Yes, after I woke up I could see things, I was pretty sure no one else could see them, but I was afraid to ask. They would have thought I was crazy" she said.

She leaned back against Darin her eyes going unfocused as she remembered back.

"What did you see" the old man who had been watching her since the party asked.

"Everywhere I look, after a few seconds, I can see a wall or curtain of energy. It overlays everything" she paused "At first I didn't dare do anything, when I was in the hospital, someone could have come in at any time, but when I got home I touched it".

"What did it feel like" he asked.

"Soft, it flowed through my hand, I'm not sure how to describe it, but I saw your garden through it" she said.

"Is that when you came here" Selenay asked.

"No, I took a nap and ended up next to a rosebush, then I panicked and pulled myself back to my bedroom" she said "but not before I took a rose, I think that without the rose I wouldn't have believed something like that could happen to me" she said shaking her head.

The old man was still watching, but now his thoughts seemed to be turned inward, Anna got the idea that he wasn't really seeing her. Suddenly his eyes sharpened and he said " I don't think you're really a mage".

"What do you mean Sejanes" Elspeth asked. "Not a mage, then how did she tie those men up in power, I assure you that wasn't fetching, or any other mindgift I've ever seen".

"Well, she is a mage of a sort, but she can see and access on a level deeper than I've ever heard of" he said thoughtfully.

Anna shook her head confused "I'm not sure what a mage is anyway, magic is just a myth where I come from, or at least it's not common".

"you're untrained" he asked clearly startled.

"Who would train me" she asked.

"You can't do anything more, until you get trained, it's much too dangerous, and not just for you". He said.

"You can stay here until then" Selenay said.

"No, that's not necessary, I made a doorway to my closet, I can go home without doing anything else, I left it open, I don't even have to resize it" she said.

Elspeth's eyes sharpened and she said "Where is it, we need to put a guard on it, and we still don't know your intentions".

"It's hidden, no one can find it without my help" Anna said suddenly afraid at some of the looks she was getting.

"You don't have to worry about her, she's not our enemy, and I don't think she ever will be" Darin said.

"And how will you guarantee this" Elspeth asked sarcastically.

"She's my lifebonded" he said.

Mouths opened as everyone stared, Elspeth recovered first. "Lifebonded" she said weakly.

"What's that"Anna asked.

"Don't you feel what I'm feeling" Darin asked quietly.

"Yes, but I've always been able to do that to some degree, though it does seem to be much stronger with you" she said. "I think that's why I trust you so much".

"You're an Empath" Selenay asked her.

"I guess, I've never really thought about it, it sort of runs in the family" she said.

Sejanes said "You still need to be trained, so you must stay here for some time".

"I'd have to arrange for some free time at home" she said "I still don't want anyone from there to know about this". Anna said.

Selenay nodded " then I'll go ahead and arrange for a room unless you want to stay with your lifebonded".

"Ok" Anna said.


	12. Chapter 12 Men in Black

Chapter 12 Men in Black

While Anna and Darin were on their way to Brytha, Elspeth came back into the room where Selenay still stood looking down at the map on the floor. "What do you think of Anna" Selenay asked her daughter.

"I don't think she's a danger, unless her gift gets away from her" Elspeth said. She knelt and carefully picked up the map and started rolling it up.

"There's little danger of that with all the mages we have here to teach her" Selenay said thoughtfully.

"What about the men who attacked you" Elspeth asked the queen.

"I don't think they were actually attacking me, I wasn't planning to be at that party at all, most of the people there didn't even know I had been invited" Selenay said.

"Why don't you go down with the guard when they are interrogating them, put the fear into them" Selenay added.

Elspeth nodded and smiled "I think I will" it had terrified her to see that her mother had been in danger, she hoped Alberich would join her when she had her little talk with the would be assassins. She looked at her mother "You look tired mother, maybe You should make an early night of it".

Selenay nodded "I think I will for once".

Derin rubbed his forehead as he sat on the ground after getting Anna's language. He closed his eyes hoping the pain would subside soon. "Thanks" he said when he felt Anna's fingers rubbing the ache from his head and neck.

"Come" she said as she stood "I have some aspirin at home, it should help".

"Jeraela, will meet us by the shed" he said rubbing his neck. He stood and took Anna's hand. He could hardly believe he had found her again, his other half. If he hadn't been so tired that first day he would have remembered to ask her name then, but it hadn't seemed important at the time he had already known her, it was only after, that he realized that he had no way to find her again.

"Is this it" he asked as they came to an old shed not far from companion's field.

"Yes" she paused then said "Could the companion's watch the shed" she asked.

"That's a good idea" Darin said. :Jeraela, did you catch that: he asked.

:Yes, I passed it on, some of the unpartnered companions will take turns watching, if anyone tries to come near the alarm will be sounded: she sent to him.

He turned to Anna "Jeraela took care of it " he said.

She sighed wistfully.

"What's the matter" he asked.

"I wish I could talk to her" Anna said.

:You can if you want to: Jeraela sent to them both.

"I'd like that" she said, smiling.

:I thought you could only talk to me: he sent to Jeraela.

:At some level she is you, or at least the both of you are joined: Jeraela sent back.

They all entered the shed, Darin holding the door open for Jeraela.

"Will you be all right" Anna asked Jeraela.

:Yes I'll be fine, I might even take a nap: Jeraela said.

"I can bring you a soft blanket from my closet" Anna added.

:Humph, that would be nice: she replied.

"Here it is" Anna pointed where the door was.

"I don't see it" Darin frowned raising his lantern.

"You're looking at it from the side, if you come this way you'll be able to see" she said pulling him to the side.

"I still don't see it" he said.

"That's because it's dark in the closet, here, reach out" she said guiding his hand through the doorway.

"Oh" he exclaimed when he felt something soft.

She reached out and felt what he was feeling, pulling it off the shelf she brought it through the doorway "see, it's one of my towels" she said showing it to him. She eased through the doorway and pulled the light cord.

"What" he exclaimed before one of the concepts he had received with her language came to him.

"It's just the light" she grinned at him, half of her appearing in midair. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Why don't you leave your lantern here for Jeraela, you won't need it in my house" she grabbed one of the blankets from her top shelf and went back through the doorway to Jeraela.

"Here" she said spreading it over Jeraela's back before coming back to Darin.


	13. Chapter 13 Another World

Chapter 13 Another World

"Come on" Anna pulled at Darin's arm knowing he was getting reluctant to go through the strange doorway. "Don't you want to see my house" she asked.

Jeraela made a noise that reminded Anna of a laugh, Darin flushed following her through the doorway, Fortunately she had opened the closet door when she had gone to get the blanket, there was enough room for them to move.

"Are you having any trouble feeling her" Anna asked him once they were in the hall and she had closed the closet door.

He closed his eyes and felt for his bond "Yes, and she thanks you for the blanket, it's rather damp in the shed".

Anna smiled "Tell her your welcome"."Come on" she grabbed his hand again.

He looked around him as she took him down the hallway and into a room with a fireplace.

"This is my living room, it's also where the only other doorway is located, this one goes to the garden" she said.

"Where's the doorway" he asked looking around.

"It's over here, in the corner by the bookcase, I moved it when I made the other doorway".

She walked to the corner with him following and pointed to a spot of darkness, hovering in midair.

"Won't people see the light from your living room" he asked frowning at the spot.

"No, on your side I moved it quite high up, It looks like a star at night, if they would even see it". She laughed at the look on his face "Don't worry I checked".

Suddenly there was a high pitched noise, he looked around wildly, but quickly grabbed her arm when she stumbled in her haste to reach one of the tables. "With you I almost don't need a cane" she said over her shoulder as she grabbed an object from the table, or at least part of it.

She put it to the side of her head and said "Hello".

He started, and asked "I'm still here".

She frowned and waved a hand at him, then he remembered one of the concepts from her language, a phone he realized, everything was so strange, half the time he didn't even get things, unless he ran into them.

"Mom, he's a friend, I'm fine, but I planning to go on a little trip for awhile" she paused a little longer this time. It was frustrating only hearing half the conversation.

"I was out earlier, his names Darin" she frowned, then flashed an apologetic grin at him. Don't worry, he's not after the money, he has his own". Then she looked a little alarmed "No, you don't have to come over" a long pause this time. "Mom", then she took the phone from her ear and looked at it for a second before looking at him in growing panic.

"It's my mother, she's coming here" she said.

"Don't you want her to meet me" he asked.

"It's not that, it's what you're wearing, people don't wear uniforms like that here" she said pointing at his Herald's uniform.

She had a flash of inspiration "Come on" she grabbed his hand and urged him to follow.

They came to a room with a bed and a couple of chests with drawers, there was another large door to one side of the room. "Take it off" she said startling him.

"What, I thought your mother was coming" he said.

She flushed "No, I mean your shirt, the pants can pass, but you need another shirt, I think one of my oversize ones may fit" she said looking in one of the drawer's. She looked up in time to see him pulling off his under shirt, she stopped in mid motion for a moment, her mouth suddenly dry. She was suddenly conscious of what room she was in.

He caught her look and grinned back at her a certain look in his own eye. "Here" she said tossing him a shirt.

He nodded and pulled it on, she couldn't help watching. Then she realized she still had her dress on "You'll have to go to the living room so I can change" she said.

He gave her a look "We're lifebonded" he said.

"We don't have time" she shot back.

"We will later" he promised.

She panicked, thinking about later.

"I have scars too" he said as he felt what she was feeling. "I'll show you mine..." he left the rest of the sentence hanging.

She laughed and waved him out, not quite daring to touch him. She was still blushing as he walked out and closed the door behind him whistling as he went.


	14. Chapter 14 Another Mother

Ch 14 Another Mother

Darin looked up from the lamp he had been turning on and off, who would have guessed he thought in amazement. She smiled when she saw what he was doing.

He smiled "You look nice" he said. She was wearing a soft pair of blue pants, 'jeans' he realized, and a large green sweater.

"How long until you're mother arrives" he asked breaking the silence they had fallen into.

"Maybe 15 mins." she said, a little distracted by his presence. "Maybe I should warn you, she's coming here to save me from you" she said ruefully.

"Why" he asked walking over to where she stood.

"When I was still in the hospital and it didn't look like I'd make it, my family sued the driver that hit me and the place that served him, there was a large settlement" she said.

"What's a settlement" he asked having trouble with the word, conflicting meanings confusing him.

"Well, you have courts, don't you, when people have disputes" she asked him.

"yes, I've served as judge in some while on circuit" he said.

Surprised, she glanced up to see him watching her, a slight frown on his face. "Have you ever awarded one of the parties with compensation for a wrong done to them" she asked him.

"Yes, I have" he nodded.

"Well, that's a settlement, anyway it was put in my name to pay medical bills, but those ended up not being as large as they thought they would be, so there's a lot left over" she said.

"Medical bills" he mused aloud, working through the concept. "How obscene" he remarked.

She laughed "A lot of people would agree with you" she said. "The reason my mom wants to protect me is that, she probably thinks you're trying to take advantage of me for the money".

"At least she cares" he said, wondering what he was getting into, then he laughed. "my mother wants to marry me off and yours wants to keep you away from men".

"She can't keep me from you" she said, giving in to temptation and giving him a hug.

He hugged her back resting his chin on the top of her head. He wanted to kiss her, but he had the feeling he'd better keep on his toes if he had to deal with her mother.

They had gone back to the kitchen and started the kettle for tea, after Darin had gotten his fill of playing with the gas stove trying to figure out how it worked. Anna smiled, his wonder in what was to her, very ordinary, Made her look at everything in a new light.

"You seem to want to figure out how everything works" she remarked when she caught him peering into the freezer, a slight frown on his face.

"It's a remnant from my days at the collegeum" He said.

"Oh" she said, "What did you study" she asked as she pulled three mugs down from a shelf.

"I hadn't gotten to the point where a master, had called for me, so I was only in the general classes, though I did have a strong leaning towards the steam project" he paused thinking back to that time, his face softened as he remembered. "Jeraela chose me when I was on my way to a history class, if I remember correctly".

"What's it like being chosen" she asked curious.

"I'm not sure how to describe it, I felt like something was looking at me....,the real me , deep inside, then the blue eyes, that seemed be the whole world and a voice saying you are my chosen, and the love and total acceptance and the feeling that I would never be alone again".

She started opening her eyes from being entranced in his words, she heard it again, a knock on the front door. "Oh, I bet that's Mom". She said startled.

She started to get up, when he waved her back and said "I'll get it".

"You sure " she asked in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, you stay there, she'll have to get me alone sometime" he said with a shrug.

"Call me if you need to be rescued" she said.

He laughed and went through the kitchen door to let her mother in. There was quiet for a few minutes , then she heard the murmur of voices coming from the living room. She sighed as she felt the apprehension he had tried to hide, but she stayed where she was knowing that he was right about needing time alone with her mother.


	15. Chapter 15 Interrogations

Ch 15 Interrogations

Darin walked through the living room, then the hall to what he assumed was the front door. Another knock echoed in the bare entryway. He sighed and tried to open the lock, it took him a few tries before he got it open.

He knew the woman standing on the other side of the glass door with her hand raised to knock again must be Anna's mother. Her hair was the same shade of red, only threaded with silver, though her eyes were a light blue. And her wary expression reminded him of Anna's the first time he had met her.

"You must be Darin" she said when he opened the door for her.

"Yes" he said.

"Brave man"she said.

Darin grinned and gestured for her to follow him "Anna's in the kitchen, she has started the water for tea". Before going there himself, he locked the door. When he turned he saw Anna's mother standing there waiting for him, a grim look on her face.

"You do anything, anything at all to hurt Anna and you answer to me" she said making sure he got her meaning.

"I couldn't hurt her" he said quietly. "She is my heart".

He didn't find any concept within the language that could exactly convey what lifebonded meant, he wished he could have comforted her mother, only time would do that. A lot of time, he thought ruefully looking at her expression.

Finally she turned and started for the kitchen.

"So, what do you do" she asked as they entered the kitchen, he looked helplessly at Anna, wondering how she wanted to handle the situation.

Anna looked up from her mug at her mother's words and caught Darin's expression. In that instant, she realized, she had to tell her mother, if Darin didn't exist she would have been able to keep it from her, but if she wanted him in her life, both her lives, her mother needed to know. "He's a Herald" she said. He started, surprised.

"A what" her mother asked, confused. She almost laughed, both Darin and her mother had similar expressions on their faces. He caught her humor and smiled uncertainly.

"A herald, I'll explain in a few minutes" she said with a calmness that was purely feigned.

"Would you like some tea first" she asked her mother.

Her mother sat and nodded, perhaps wondering if she was going to like what she heard. "Darin, could you go get your shirt and bring it here" she asked, looking up at him. He nodded and left the room.

"What was that about" her mother asked.

"You'll see later, first I need a promise from you" she said pouring the water over her mother's teabag.

"You have it" she said.

"I need you to listen to everything I tell you, without interrupting and to keep it a secret" she said seriously.

"Can I tell your father" her mother asked.

"No one, or I would have to leave, you would never hear from me again" she said a serious tone in her voice.

"But why" her mother asked scared for her daughter.

"I can't leave Darin" she started to say.

"What did he do to you, is he threatening you..." she started to say, Anna interrupted.

"No, he couldn't harm me, he would die for me as I would for him. I think if either of us died the other would soon follow" she said her thoughts turned inward, feeling her way through what she had to say.

"What in the world" her mother exclaimed.

"Funny you should say that, it has something to do with what I wanted to tell you, well actually show you" Anna said.

Darin entered the kitchen as she said that, his uniform top hung over his arm. He walked over to Anna and handed it to her. She moved her mug and spread it out on the table.

"What's that" her mother asked.

It's part of Darin's uniform, where he comes from, he holds an office of a sort" she said.

"Where he comes from" her mother asked looking at the heavy shirt.

"Yes, I'll tell you about that soon" she said.

"Why can't he tell me for himself" her mother asked , shooting him a sharp glance.

"Because he's still not used to the language, and he trusts me to tell you what you need to know" she said.

"He speaks it well for someone recently come to it" her mother said , looking at him again.

"As well as I now speak his" she said adding in Valdemaren to Darin "Which is worse, yours or mine". He choked back a laugh as Anna's mother looked between them both suspiciously.

"You know that things have been different, since the accident" Anna said getting to the point.

"Yes" her mother nodded.

"Well, you don't know how different" she said taking a sip of her now cooler tea.

She continued "I started seeing things, from the time I woke up in the hospital" her mother took her hand a concerned look on her face.

Anna smiled and shook her head "It wasn't like that" she said. "Though I did wonder at first, I didn't dare tell anyone, and it wasn't until I got home, and something amazing happened, that I realized, exactly what had been happening".

"What happened" her mother asked.

"I woke up next to a rosebush" she said.

"A what" her mother asked.

"A rosebush" she said pointing to the now half dead rose dropping, it's petals falling on the table between them. "I had been dreaming of a garden, in fact, been seeing it in the air, then I was there..." she paused.

"What happened then" her mother asked.

"I panicked" she smiled and looked at Darin. "I pulled myself back, but not before I took this as a momento of my visit" she said, pointing again to the rose.

"If it wasn't for the rose I might not have believed what happened" she said.

"You went back" her mother asked.

"Yes, a few days later, when I got back my nerve, I'm so glad I did" she said.

"Why" her mother asked.

"Because I met Darin then" she said softly, smiling as she remembered, she looked up and saw he was remembering as well.

Her mother looked back and forth between them and relaxed, comforted by what she saw.

"Nice story, but hard to believe" she said looking at her daughter.

"I know, that's why I'm going to show you" she said. "Are you done with your tea, mom" she asked.

Her mother looked at her mug startled, without realizing it she had finished her tea nodding she said " I guess I have, what do you mean by showing me" she asked.

"Come" she said standing and grabbing her cane. Darin came to her elbow ready to help if needed. Her mother stood and followed as they walked to the hallway, that held the doorway to Valdemar.

"The linen closet" she asked her daughter, wondering if her first impression of her daughter's story was true.

"I couldn't resist" she said with a sparkle of humor in her eyes. "It's a little like something C. S. Lewis would have written, though it's not exactly a wardrobe" she said.

"What is it then" her mother asked skeptically.

"It's a doorway to Darin's world" she said opening the door.

Her mother opened her mouth to say something but then stopped, staring without saying anything. The light of the lantern from the shed was shining weirdly from a darkness in the wall, then a large white head emerged, looking at them with blue eyes.

:Are you sure this is wise: Jeraela asked Anna.

:It's the only thing I could do, I can't lose Darin and I don't want to lose my family: she sent back silently.

Anna's mother had closed her mouth when they had spoken to each other "What are you" she gasped staring at Jeraela. "You're not a horse, they don't talk".

Jeraela whipped her head around staring at her :You heard me: she said startled.

'Of course I heard you" her mother said.

"Interesting family you have" Darin whispered in her ear.

Elspeth entered the building where the men were being held, she nodded at the man on watch "Have they started the interrogation yet" she asked.

"No, Alberich, left word that he wanted us to wait until he arrived" he said.

"Good, I'll wait" she wasn't surprised that he had already heard of the attack, even those who didn't know him well, knew he took Selenay's security seriously.

It wasn't long before he arrived, he nodded to Elspeth and the two of them followed the guard waiting to guide them to the cell where the first of the men was being held.

He was a little the worse for wear, the guards hadn't been gentle, taking it personally that someone had endangered their queen, they had stripped him of most of his clothing in their search for weapons. He sat shivering in his undershirt, pants and bare feet, his head down and in his hands.

His head snapped up at their entrance, his eyes widened and he backed away as far as his chains would allow. Elspeth glanced at Alberich, with that expression on his face she wasn't surprised the man appeared terrified. The two Heralds stalked forward until they were close enough to touch him. He stared at Alberich in horrified fascination almost ignoring Elspeth. He flinched when Alberich fingered the handle of the sword he still wore , a forbidding look in his eyes.

:You hardly need the sword: she sent.

He didn't respond, instead he continued to stare at the man until he looked down unable to look him in the eyes. Alberich murmured the first stage of the truth spell, then asked in a surprisingly soft voice "Hunting, were you, what prey were you after".

"Not the queen, we didn't know she was there, if we had we would never have come".the man said as fast as he could trying to get it out before he was stopped. The blue of the truth spell never faltered.

Elspeth sighed, relieved that this wasn't a plot to kill Selenay. "You wanted to kill someone, who was it" she asked.

He looked at her "We weren't trying to kill anyone", the blue light disappeared.

"Funny, you don't look stupid" she said.

"What" he asked.

"You're under truth spell, you know what that means" she asked him with a sour look.

He nodded a sour look of his own, he rubbed his face and looked up again.

"Lord Farron, that's who we were hired to kill" the blue light returned.

"Who hired you" she asked.

"I don't know, All I know was we were given invitations to the party and passage into the palace, I don't know who ultimately arraigned for it" he said.

"A pity, for you" Alberich said.

"What do you mean" the man asked.

"If known, you had, a lighter sentence, have you had" he said.

"You know what they do to murderers" Elspeth added.

"I haven't killed anyone" the terrified man gasped, the blue light winked out again.

Elspeth sighed "You never learn, do you".


	16. Chapter 16 Tongue Tied

Ch 16 Tongue Tied

Anna's mother looked around the damp and dusty shed "You kept coming back to **this**" she asked pulling her arm away from the cobwebs, that seemed to cover every surface.

Anna laughed "No, I came back to him". She pointed over at Darin where he was removing the blanket from Jeraela's back. Part of him disappeared into her linen closet before reappearing minus the blanket. He looked up and smiled, he had put his uniform top back on,and so looked the Herald again.

He picked up the lantern and gestured for them both to precede him through the shed doorway.

"Mom, I'll have to stay here for awhile, I need training and these people know how to give it for me. Could you arrange things for me at home" she asked.

Her mother nodded, then looked up as a thought came to her "When would I see you" she asked her daughter.

"You know where the door is now and you have a key to my house, you can come any time, that's why we're taking you to get you the language".

Her mother nodded, a slight frown on her face. "What's it like, getting the language".

"Well" Anna said slowly. "You feel Brytha in your head, and then when you wake up you'll have an awful headache, but you speak the language like a native".

"If you speak it like a native, then why was Darin having so much trouble with it" her mother asked.

"When you get the language you'll see, They don't have some of the concepts we have, he was getting some of the meanings tangled up" she said.

Her mother nodded "Talking about me" Darin asked as he walked up to where they were standing.

Anna smiled "Always". They heard a snort from the departing Jeraela and Anna's mother began to look at them with a certain light in her eyes.

"Oh no, I know that look" Darin whispered in Anna's ear. "My mother looks like that just before going into her matchmaking mode".

Anna laughed and whispered back "Do you mind".

"Not with you" he said softly.

"Why are we whispering anyway" Anna asked. "She hasn't gotten Valdemaran yet".

"It doesn't matter, mother's always know" he said seriously, with a wicked twinkle in his eye.

She laughed, noticing that her mother was trailing behind giving them plenty of room, and a measure of privacy. "I think you're right"she said, nodding over her shoulder at her mother, who was pretending not to pay any attention to them.

He laughed and Anna turned back to her mother "It's too bad it's night and you can't see the garden's they're really beautiful".

"It doesn't matter" her mother said rejoining them. "I can always come back and visit during the day".

After her mother had gotten Valdemar, they'd decided to stick to one language, they sat on the grass waiting for her to recover.

"What is Brytha anyway" her mother asked massaging her temples.

"A Dyheli" Darin answered. "I know that doesn't help much, but that's all anyone knows, we're not sure where they came from originally, but these came when we allied with the Hawkbrothers, they wanted a new place to live and we have quite a few grasslands that don't have anyone living on them, it worked out for both groups".

Her mother nodded and said "I think I'm ready to go back now". This time she said it in Valdemaran, her eyes flew open as she realized what she had done "Oh" she said in surprise.

"You'll have to be careful, about that when we get back" Anna cautioned her. "It takes awhile to get used to it, maybe you should go home early and just feel out the language, that seems to help".

"I think I will" her mother said. "I'll want to sleep this headache off anyway".

At the doorway Anna and her mother hugged, Darin was surprised when she hugged him too. "Welcome to the family" she whispered in his ear, before leaving through the doorway.


	17. Chapter 17 Not Quite What I Expected

Chapter 17 Not Quite What I was Expecting

When her mother left Anna picked up one of her bags. Darin picked the other two and they headed back to the palace. "Where are we going anyway" Anna asked.

"Well" he said slowly looking at her. "We could go to the quarters the Queen set up for you, or we could go to my room" he said uncertainly. He had felt her slight uneasiness when they became too close. While it was frustrating he knew he had to go at her pace. He knew already how things would end, it was just getting there. He didn't even mind that he was sure his mother was already planning the wedding, the sooner the better he thought to himself.

"Which is bigger" she asked.

He shrugged "I don't know, I haven't seen the rooms they picked".

"Then why don't we go to your room, at least you know where it is" Anna said.

Darin smiled and nodded, then he picked up her two bags leading the way to his quarters.

Outside his door he hesitated "This is it, but I must warn you. I haven't been spending much time here recently its not very personal" he said looking at her. "You can change anything you want" he added.

She smiled at him and said "It's yours, that's all thats important".

As he set the bags down by a clothes chest she looked around the room, he was right it was a little sterile. There were no rugs to soften the wood floor and there was nothing on the white walls. There was only the chest, a table to one side with papers stacked on it with a couple of chairs and the bed. The bed was perhaps the most colorful thing in the room, a lovely throw covered it.

She walked over and felt it, soft. She wasn't familiar with the fabric, perhaps a wool of some kind, but she had never felt a wool so soft.

He looked over at her and smiled "That was a gift from mother".

"What is it, I've never felt anything like it" she asked.

"I think it comes from up north, right near the border of Valdemar. Some place called.... well I think it's called Errold's Grove".

She nodded and smiled an amused look in her eyes "Never heard of it".

He laughed and came to stand by her, slowly the laughter died and they became lost in each others eyes, they leaned closer then.

:Chosen, as much as I dislike interrupting your fun, there's someone looking for the two of you. She should be there shortly. Just thought you'd want to know: she added with a mental chuckle.

He started and flushed, backing up from Anna.

"What" she asked confused.

"Jeraella just told me there's someone looking for us and they should be here shortly" he said.

She looked at him suspiciously "Did she say anything else".

"Not exactly, but you can pick up a lot mind to mind. I think she was a little amused" he said.

"But she likes me, doesn't she" Anna asked.

:Of course I like you, I think you'll be very good for Darin:

"Oh" Anna exclaimed.

Then a sharp knock came at the door and it opened without a wait. In swept Darin's mother. She took one look at Anna's bags standing by the chest and she shook her head "No, that won't do. Not until the wedding". She waved in the servant and pointed at the bags. "Take those to my house and take that one too" she said pointing at the bag Anna still held loosely, she let him take it still surprised at the intrusion.

Darin's mother shook her head at him "I thought I raised you better than that, she's not just another bedmate. She's going to be your wife" she took Anna by the arm and led her out. Anna gave one last helpless look to Darin before she was swept away by his mother.

Darin sat on the edge of the bed still a little stunned at the suddenness, he only hoped that Anna didn't run screaming from his family. It was a good thing they were lifebonded he thought shaking his head.

"Mrs.... I'm sorry I never got your name, I only know you as Darin's mother" she stopped ashamed to have to admit this.

"I don't know what happened to the manners I taught the boy. My name is Lady Reva, but you can call me Reva" she said.

"Reva,I'm sorry about the impression you got when......It was just that he wanted me there and I thought it was expected, customs differ and I........" she stopped and shook her head.

"They don't differ that much" she looked sharply at the girl. "Have you" she started to ask.

"No, never. I've never been with anyone" she said quickly.

"Good" Reva said satisfaction in her voice.

Anna looked confused at the carriage waiting for them at the entrance of the palace gate "Where are we going" she asked.

"I have an estate in town, we'll be staying there" Reva said.

"How will I get back to the palace, I'm supposed to have lessons there. And Derin's there" she said.

"You can take the carriage anytime you wish, and" she compressed her lips as she tried to find a way of saying it diplomatically.

Anna looked at her "Don't worry, I won't do anything I shouldn't. It's a relief to just be with with him without worrying about" she stopped, blushing. This was his mother.

Reva nodded relieved "Then it's a good thing I came when I did, it's not good to start your life on a wrong footing".

Anna nodded, she felt the same way herself.

When she stepped up to the carriage Anna realized that she had a problem, she wasn't able to do everything she used to before her accident and it appeared that climbing up into the carriage was going to be one of those things. She was sure eventually she would make it, but that wasn't quite the impression she was hoping to make on his mother. At her worried look the servant that had just put her bags aboard looked up and saw her problem. "Here, let me" he said lifting her up into the carriage.

"Thanks" she said.

Both Anna and Reva were quiet on the way to Reva's estate. Anna was busy watching the city as they made their way down the twisting city streets. It almost reminded her of some cities she had seen in Europe, there was a medevil feel to it, she could almost see an attacking army floundering as they negotiated the winding streets, never quite reaching their goal. She had the feeling that you had to be a native to know all the ways through.

Another thing she noticed was that there were no cars, and the streets were full of people and horses. Both carts and riding horses. She could see how Jeraella could easily fit right in here, unlike home where she wasn't sure it was even legal to take a horse into town.

The turned into a quieter street than the one they had been on. The houses were larger too, with what looked like tall iron fences and stone walls around gardens for privacy.

Finally the turned into the entrance of one of the large homes, a man at the gate opened it before they came too close and closed it carefully behind them.

The servant helped Anna down from the carriage. She looked around curious, so this was Darin's family home she thought to herself.

Darin stood up and stretched, he already missed Anna. Feeling a little lonely he decided to visit Jeraella, she always made him feel better.

As he walked through the halls, someone called his name. Darin turned surprised as the servant came running up. "I've a message for you Herald Darin" the man said.

He handed him the paper and left on his next errand. Darin unfolded the paper and read, frowning at the words. A new assignment, he felt cold, not now when he just found Anna. Now feeling truly depressed he walked quickly to the room indicated on the missive.

Opening the door he looked in, he was surprised to see Elspeth, Darkwind and Sejanes waiting for him. "you have a new assignment for me" he asked.

Elspeth nodded "It was originally going to be a circuit up north, but considering the problem of a major new untrained mage, we gave that circuit to Gen. As the lifebonded to that mage we decided you were needed here more."

"We need someone she trusts here, we also want her to feel as comfortable as possible" Sejanes added.

"Where is Anna" Elspeth asked. "We almost expected her to come here with you".

"My mother kidnapped her" Darin said dryly.

"Poor girl" Elspeth said.

"Poor me, I probably won't see her until mother finally sets up a wedding"Darin said with a groan.

"You'll live" Darkwind laughed.

Darin shook his head uncertain of the last. As the everyone left the room he headed back to the field and Jeraella.


End file.
